Ice-cream receptacle holding device



.1411.4, 1949. B, cLOwER 2,458,060

ICE-CREAM REEPTACIE HQLIDINV DEVICE Filed Ag. 1e, 1944 Patented Jan. 4, 1949 UNITED S TATES PATEN T OIF FICE 'ICE-CREAI CEPTACL'E :HOLDING DEVICE Joseph. Clower, Woodstock, Va.

Application August l16, 1942;,Serial No. 549,11'81 (Cl. 22o- 14) 4 Claims.

l The `present invention relates to clamping Adevices and `more particularly to means for securing receptacles for bulk ice -cream or the like in `the wells of storage cabinets, `especially such -cabinets as are commonly used in retail stores,

latsoda fountains, etc., Where theice cream is kept refrigerated and is dispensed by scooping itfrom the receptacles.

The receptacle is generally a. can, formerly `made of metal but now usually made of heavy paper material, holding two and `one-half or ve `gallons of more or less hard frozen bulk product. Such receptacles'are set in the wells of the cabinets `and `maintained under refrigeration. The

operation of dipping the product involves considerable forcible pushing and thrusting of the spoon or scoop in and against the 'frozen material, and this generally results in annoying movements of the receptacle. These movements include lateral displacement and rotation `and are particularly apt to occur when `the product is quite hard, when the receptacle is nearly empty, or when it is of small size. The problem has become so increasingly acute with the current Widespreaduse of paper cans that it has become 'common practice for dispensersto hold such cans with'one hand while they work the spoon or dipping implement with the other hand. That such practice is unsanitary as Well as wasteful of time and energy is obvious.

Some efforts have been made to solve the problem, but in all such cases with which I am acquainted the solutions have left much to `be desired. Racks installed inthe Wells are spaceconsuming and do not prevent rotation of the cans. Devices for pressing the cans against a wall of the Well do not hold the cans securely and are quite impractical when the cans are made of paper because such cans collapse under the applied pressure. So far as I know, none of the prior art proposals has met with any commercial success.

The principal objects ofthe present invention are to provide a simple and inexpensive device which Will hold cans of different size in a cabinet well securely against lateral displacement and against rotation, which can be very quickly applied to and detached from the cans, which will not crush, puncture or otherwise destroy the cans even though they be made of paper, which can be used by entirely `inexperienced and unskilled persons, which does not objectionably penetrate the can contents, which doesnot occupy any objectionable amount of `space Lin 'the Well or in l Lany way interfere "with any `of fthe :customary ldis- A ci `2 pensing technique, and which will be completely ffoolproof and durable.

The means by which that-oregoing and other objectsand .advantages `are -attained will, itis believed, 'be Vevident to those lskilled in the art from the `following specification, lconsidered in connection with the 4accompanying drawing, which specification yand drawing Idisclose certain preferred embodiments of fthe invention. -It is to be 4understood that other `'andf-urthermodified forms vofthe inventionare contemplated; hence the appended claims are to be `construed `broadly and without limitation `to -the :illustrated embodi- `ments except to the extent required 'by the express 'terms of the claims aand by the state fof the prior art.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part o'f Athis 'application for Letters Patentand in which :the `same referencecharacter indicates thesame part-in `the several views,

Figure l1 lis 'a verticalcentral sectional 'view of a conventional type of refrigerated ice cream lstorage.cabinetfshowing one of the devices vcontemplated by the 4present invention in operative position `securing `a receptaclefor can of two and fone-half gallon capacity;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary `detail view comprisinge. vertical or lengthwisecentral section, `on a relatively 'enlarged scale, of the Adevice in operartive position;

Figure 3 is atopplan viewof the device inoperative "'position;

`Figure 4 is a `horizontal section taken on the line d-oi Fig,'2;

Tigure is'an explodedperspective View of the form fof device shown in the preceding figures; `and Figure 56 is a perspective view of one of the principal elements 'of vthe device, `embodied in a slightlymodied form. l

Referringtc the drawing, the referencenumeral I `designates any usual type of soda fountain, retailstore or other cabinet for ice cream and the like, having one or more wells 2 in each of which maybe stored one or `more receptacles 3, here shown as a pair of superposed two and vonehalf gallon bulk'ice cream cans having paper or metalside walls of generally cylindrical shape.

4Each ofthe Wells is `surmounted byan opening inthe cabinet top into which is fitted a cover A4. Allthis structure is presented here as typical of Icabinets `generally `and as `providing merely 1the `background or `environment in 'which `the present "invention is used y"I'he Idetails *of the do not depend on any particular kind of cabinet, and the cabinet itself forms no part of the invention.

The holding device, designated as a whole by the numeral 5 in Fig. l, is best shown in Fig. 5

and comprises, in the illustrated embodiments,V

two principal elements: a relatively long outer arm or member 5 and a relatively short inner arm or member l. These two elements are telescopically connected so that the over-all length of the device can be adjusted. One of the members, for example, the outer one, is fastened more or less permanently in the well, and the other member is secured to the ice cream can which is to be irnmobilized in the well. The two members are secured together against relative movement and thus the can is secured in place. The details f 'the members and their relation to each other and to the cabinet and can will now be explained in terms of the illustrated embodiments of the invention.

The outer member 6 may be made of strap iron or heavy sheet metal, conveniently plated or otherwise rendered rust and corrosion proof, and is best widened at its upper end portion 8 and there provided with means for securing it more or less permanently in depending position in the well. Holes 9 for the reception of screws or bolts are satisfactory for this purpose. The lower end portion ii) may be offset to any extent to effect proper alignment of the can 3 with the top opening in the well when the upper end portion 8 is fastened in the well opening. As shown at Il in the drawing this offset is just sumcient to accommodate the beaded rim of the can and permit the lower end portion i of the outer `member E t0 engage the side wall of the can with the rim thereof engaged with the intermediate portion of the member. Short prongs i2 or the like may be provided on the lower end portion IU, and this portion may be curved and widened as shown in Fig. 5, all for the purpose of perfecting the contact between it and the can and keeping the can from rotating when held against the outer member.

The inner member 'I is made of thesame kind` of material as the outer member 6 and has a widened lower portion i3 which is channeled with a downwardly facing groove or opening, as by turning down upper end ears ld in spaced parallel relation to the main body of the lower portion. This channel may be made slightly curved, or it can be left quite straight. In either form it is adapted to be slipped down over the rim of a can. The arrangement is preferably such that the ears i4 extend down the outside of the can and the main body extends very slightly into the can. The inner member itself rises from its position on the can rim in the form of a short arm, and it will be apparent that when the inner member is mounted on a can rim as has been explained and is held against the outer member which in turn is xed in position in the well as has been described, the can will be held against lateral displacement by the channel of the inner member and against rotation by the prongs or the like I2 of the outer member.

The two members are held together in vertically adjustable, telescopic relation by some such means as the slot and pin arrangement shown. This consists in providing the inner member with a lengthwise slot l5 which receives a threaded pin or stud i6 fixed in the outer member. A nut I1,

best provided in the form of a loose wing nut, is threaded on the stud and may be tightened to clamp the two members together or loosened to 4 permit relative sliding of the members on each other.

Proper alignment of the members even when loose is assured by providing each of them with oppositely turned flanges i8 which intert and serve as guides during sliding movement of the members. These flanges also function as stiening means for the members, thus permitting them to be made of relatively thin gauge metal.

In use the outer member is fixed in the well as shown in Fig. l. The inner member is applied in loose relation on the outer member so as to be slidable thereon. A can 3 is put into the well, the inner member is lifted by sliding it upwardly along the outer member, the can is pushed against the pronged surface of the portion I0, the inner member is lowered to fit the rim of the can into the channel of the portion I3, and the wing nut il is then tightened. If the can is made of paper the prongs enter its side wall; if the can is made of metal the prongs bite the side wall. In either case this engagement is such as to prevent rotation of the can. Of course lateral displacement of the can is prevented by the intert of the channeled lower portion of the inner member over the can rim. The can is securely xed in position and is proof against movement under all reasonably to be expected digging or scraping thrusts at its contents.

To remove a, can it is necessary only to loosen the nut i l, lift the inner member enough to clear the can rim, and then pull the can laterally from its engagement with the prongs I2. While mostl cans are of standard size, it will be evident that the vertical adjustability of the combined members results in accommodating the device to considerable differences in can heights.

The curvature of the portions H and I3 is best made so slight that they t equally well cans which are square in cross section and cans which are cylindrical.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modiiication of the outer member 6, here designated by the numeral i9. In this form a single upper end portion 20 branches into two depending arms 2l each of `which is made like the depending arm of the member` S. Inner members l, identical with that shown in Fig. 5, associated with these two arms 2| serve to clamp two cans to the member IS. Thus the member i9 is useful in a well in which two cans are to be mounted side by side beneath a single top opening or beneath a pair of adjacent top openings. The arms 2i are formed in substantially the same plane because the two cans are placed tangent or nearly tangent to each other.

I claim: n

1.Means for securing an open receptacle for bulk ice cream and the like in the well of a storage cabinet comprising a clamp-ing device having a vertically extending arm, means for attaching the upper portion of said arm in fixed relation to a wall of the well, a member telescopically con nected to the lower portion of the arm and having atits bottom a downwardly facing groove engageable over the rim of the receptacle, and means for holding the member and arm together in telescopically adjusted relation with the groove held pressed down o-n the rim to hold the receptacle in fixed position in the well.

2. Means for securing an open receptacle for bulk ice cream and the like in the well of a storage cabinet comprising a clamping device including an elongated outer member, means at the upper `portion of said member for securing the same vertically within the well with the lower portion of the member projecting down in the well, an inner member having at its bottom a downwardly facing groove adapted to fit over and receive the rim of the receptacle, and means comprising a recess in one of the members, a stud provided on the other member, and a nut threaded on the stud for telescopically adjustably securing the members together with the groove held pressed down on the rim so as to hold the receptacle in fixed position in the well.

3. In a device for securing an open receptacle for bulk ice cream and the like in the well of a. storage cabinet, an outer member adapted to be fastened in the upper part of the well and to extend down into the well below the level of the top of the receptacle, an inner member adapted to be mounted on the rim of the receptacle and to project upwardly therefrom in parallel engage ment with the outer member, a downwardly facing channel formed on the bottom of the inner member for engaging the inner and outer sides of the rim of the receptacle and preventing lateral displacement thereof, prong means formed on the outer member for interlocking with the outer side of the receptacle and preventing rotation thereof, and means for adjustably securing the two members together in lengthwise telescoping relation with the channel pressed down on the rim.

4. In a device for securing an open receptacle for bulk ice cream and the like in the well of a storage cabinet, an outer member adapted to be fastened in the upper part of the well and to ex- 6 tend down into the Well below the level of the top of the receptacle, an inner member adapted to be mounted on the rim of the receptacle and to project upwardly therefrom in parallel engagement with the outer member, a downwardly facing channel formed on the bottom `of the inner member for engaging the inner and outer sides of the rim of the receptacle and preventing lateral displacement thereof, prong means formed on the outer member for interlocking with the outer side of the receptacle below the rim and preventing rotation thereof, and pin and slot means for adjustably securing the members together in lengthwise telescoping relation with the channel pressed down on the rim.

JOSEPH B. CLOWER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

` UNITED STATES PATENTS 

